Method and apparatus for content navigation in digital broadcast radio

Abstract

A low cost DAB multichannel receiver comprising a simplified buffering method for buffering content segments from multiple streams contained within the DAB channel, where the receiver enables the listener to navigate buffered content segments from multiple streams within the DAB channel while enabling the broadcaster to control the timeshift of commercial content to the receiver output stream. The receiver's buffered content grows over time and is cleared when tuning away from the channel, thus encouraging listeners desiring to tune in to new content to instead navigate to new buffered segments. Broadcaster control of the listener experience may be enabled by setting content control fields which are observed in the broadcast by the multichannel receivers. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for delivering an audio broadcast channel comprising:
 receiving content from a multichannel signal, wherein the multichannel signal is a broadcast containing
 a main channel with a main channel analog audio stream and a main channel digital audio stream; 
 one or more secondary digital audio streams; 
 at least one program service data stream; 
 commercial and non-commercial content on the main channel; 
 non-commercial content on a secondary channel; and 
 
 program service data stream including control standalone reception information instructing at least a subset of broadcast receivers to disable a specified set of one or more secondary digital audio streams from standalone reception; 
 buffering the main channel digital audio stream and the specified set of one or more secondary digital audio streams; 
 tuning to the main channel; 
 based on receiving a user-initiated skip command, playing a content segment from the at least one of the specified set of one or more buffered secondary digital audio streams disabled from standalone reception without reception by the secondary channel; and 
 returning playback to the main channel upon completion of the playing the content segment from the at least one of the specified set of one or more buffered secondary digital audio streams. 
 
     
     
       2. The method for delivering an audio broadcast channel of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one program service data stream contains control fields to assign a higher priority to a playback of one or more content segments on the main channel digital audio stream. 
     
     
       3. The method for delivering an audio broadcast channel of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one program service data stream contains control fields to block content navigation a first time a commercial audio segment is played, flag the commercial audio segment in memory as being played and enable content navigation during any subsequent replay of the commercial audio segment. 
     
     
       4. A multichannel receiver comprising:
 a receiver for receiving a broadcast signal having a plurality of broadcast streams containing
 at least one of commercial content, non-commercial content or both; and 
 a first portion of RAM for storing at least portions of the plurality of broadcast streams for playback containing at least one of commercial content, non-commercial content or both; and 
 
 a processor coupled to the receiver, wherein the processor is operable to select a broadcast stream for playback; and 
 a second portion of RAM for storing at least portions of the selected broadcast stream, whereas RAM second portion of RAM is operable to extend a playback memory allocated to the selected broadcast stream in the first portion of RAM; and 
 at least one index table operable to associate content contained in the broadcast streams to memory locations in the first portion of RAM and said second portion of RAM, and when a content segment is extracted for playback from the first portion of RAM, copying said content segment to the second portion of RAM. 
 
     
     
       5. The multichannel receiver of  claim 4 , wherein the first portion of RAM is managed so that new received content overwrites the oldest content. 
     
     
       6. The multichannel receiver of  claim 4 , wherein the second portion of RAM is managed so that new received content overwrites the oldest content. 
     
     
       7. The multichannel receiver of  claim 4 , wherein the processor is operable to selectively navigate to include pause, replay and/or skip functionality. 
     
     
       8. A method comprising:
 receiving a broadcast signal having a plurality of broadcast streams containing at least one of commercial content, non-commercial content or both; 
 allocating a first portion of RAM for storing at least portions of the plurality of broadcast streams for playback containing at least one of commercial content, non-commercial content or both; 
 selecting content by selecting portions of the plurality of broadcast streams stored in the first portion of RAM; 
 allocating a second portion of RAM for storing the selected content for playback; 
 operating the second portion of RAM to extend a memory for storing the selected portions of the plurality of broadcast streams; 
 selectively navigating among the content stored in the first portion of RAM and selectively navigating among the content stored in the second portion of RAM; and 
 managing at least one index table operable to associate content contained in the broadcast streams to memory locations in the first portion of RAM and the second portion of RAM, and when a content segment is extracted for playback from the first portion of RAM, copying said content segment to the second portion of RAM. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8  further comprising:
 managing the first portion of RAM so that new received content overwrites the oldest content. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 8  further comprising:
 managing the second portion of RAM so that new incoming content overwrites the oldest content. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the selectively navigating includes pause, replay and/or skip functionality.